Upland family get free solar panels through new partnership

UPLAND - The Zavala family in Upland recently benefitted from a new partnership between GRID Alternatives and Sullivan Solar Power.

The family received a solar electric system through the partnership which will provide low-income households in San Bernardino and Riverside counties with free solar installations.

"Today marks the establishment of a yearlong partnership with GRID Alternatives," said Daniel Sullivan, founder and president of Sullivan Solar Power, in a news release. "Inland Empire homeowners that need solar energy the most will benefit."

Sullivan Solar Power has offices in Riverside, Irvine, San Diego and San Francisco.

Michael Zavala, a disabled retiree who has lived in the city for 30 years and his family received a 15-panel rooftop solar array at no cost through the partnership, which was officially announced at the Zavala residence Thursday.

"We were presented with the opportunity," Zavala said in a news release from Sullivan Solar Power. "I had never looked into solar because I never thought about being able to afford it."

The 3,300-watt solar power installation will save the Zavalas $30,930 over the next 30 years. The family will be utilizing the energy bill savings to catch up on other bills such as gas and water, and to do projects around the house, according to the news release.

For each residential property that goes solar with Sullivan Solar Power over the next year, Sullivan Solar Power will donate one locally manufactured solar panel to GRID Alternatives, a non-profit organization that brings solar power and solar job training into underserved communities, according to a news release from Sullivan Solar Power.

The company and non-profit except to provide the free solar power installations to 20 households.

"We are thrilled to partner with Sullivan Solar Power to help provide solar installations to low income homeowners throughout the Inland Empire," said Bambi Tran, Regional Director of GRID Alternatives Inland Empire, in a news release. "As a result of this new partnership, dozens of income-qualified families in the Inland Empire will be able to get solar panels on their homes - at no cost to them - and save hundreds if not thousands on their electricity bills each year."

"As we celebrate this new partnership, our city is excited by the vision that Sullivan Solar Power and GRID Alternatives share, a vision where public, private and non-profit entities can come together in partnership to create a sustainable future," Filippi said in a news release. "We know that the

Sullivan Solar Power donations and GRID Alternatives' efforts will result in a brighter future for the City of Upland and the entire Inland Empire."

The partnership will extend beyond the Inland Empire; Sullivan Solar Power will be donating panels to other GRID Alternatives offices for projects in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego as well.

For more information about Sullivan Solar Power, visit www.sullivansolarpower.com or call 1-800-SULLIVAN.

For more information about GRID Alternatives Inland Empire, visitwww.gridalternatives.org/ie.